Fabrics often become soiled from regular use. Thus, fabrics need to be periodically cleaned to remove stains and odors. Usually, the fabric is placed in water with detergent and the water/detergent mixture is agitated, typically using a machine. A problem arises in that common laundry detergents may be less than completely effective when removing certain types of stains, such as oily stains, waxy stains, particulate stains, and sebum stains. To facilitate the removal of these stains, pre-treatment or spot-cleaning of the stains is typically used. In this regard, there are a variety of soil and stain removers which are available in a variety of forms, such as sprays, liquids, sticks, and wipes.
A typical use of spot-cleaning involves applying a cleaning composition directly to the stain or soiled area of fabric. Thereafter, the fabric is laundered in a washing machine, by hand, or through the use of some other cleaning method whereby the cleaning composition effects removal of the stain or soil from the fabric article.
Various of the foregoing stain removing compounds and delivery systems have benefits and drawbacks depending on their particular form. For example, liquids and sticks provide targeted application, but generally tend to be messy. Sprays are often convenient and easy to use, but generally tend to treat an area that is larger than the stain itself. Wipes are convenient, but are generally not as effective as other forms of stain removal treatments.
Thus, it is desirable to have methods and apparatus for improving the performance of spot-treatment products. It is also desirable to have methods and apparatus for removing stains without the requirement of a laundering step after a spot-treatment step.